Return Ticket
by ajfankeith
Summary: In anticipation of Danny Miller returning to the Dales, this is my 'take' on Aaron's return to the village.
1. Chapter 1

Return Ticket – Chapter 1

_-O-_

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

_-O-_

Two families: the Bartons and the Dingles. They were linked in so many ways and on so many levels. Moira Barton and Cain Dingle were a couple, Chas Dingle and Moira's brother-in-law James Barton were a couple and Cain's daughter Debbie and James' son Pete were also a couple. On top of that, to complete the 'connection', Chas' son Aaron was best mates with Moira's son Adam. It was almost destiny that Aaron would one day become heavily involved with another of the Barton clan, but one that he had never met before due to the fact that he was in France.

Aaron was pondering about where his life was taking him. He woke up one morning to find himself jobless, boyfriend-less and soon to be homeless as he could no longer afford the rent on his French apartment. Before he knew what was happening, he was on a Eurostar train: heading home. He knew that his return to the Dales would be fraught with difficulties, but he felt that he had no choice, other than to go back to England and to start again. The police were likely to arrest him as soon as they were aware that he had returned, but he was willing to take that risk. Very few people knew that his best mate Adam had started a fire at Dingle Motors and, for all most folk knew, Aaron was the culprit. Aaron was still known as a bad boy and it would not have surprised anyone if he had, in fact, started the blaze. Certain members of the Barton and Dingle clans knew the truth of the matter, but they shared secrets in the same way that they shared their lives.

It was getting dark by the time that Aaron arrived in Emmerdale village. Being a summer night, it was warm even though the sun had already set. Aaron wore a t-shirt and shorts, plus woolly socks and hiking boots and his belongings were stowed in a backpack: he looked for all the world like any visiting tourist, on holiday in the Yorkshire countryside.

After leaving the bus stop, Aaron skirted the buildings of the village and found a vantage point behind a hedge, so that he could keep watch on the Woolpack. He wanted to know if his mother was in residence, he did not want anyone else to know that he had returned. Luckily, he saw her emerge from the side door to put a few empties out so he quickly made his way across to her before she went back in, looking around all the time to make sure that he was not being observed by anyone else.

Chas was bending down to a container on the ground, but looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. She could not believe the sight which greeted her, "Aaron!" she almost shrieked.

"Hello Mum!" Aaron smiled: not only a friendly gesture, but he also took pleasure in surprising his mother.

"What are you doing here?" Chas was dumbfounded.

"I've come home," Aaron said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"But, you were in France!"

"I _do_ know that," Aaron was still as sarcastic as ever.

"But...what's happened? Why are you here?"

"Can we go inside?" Aaron ushered his mother towards the door.

"Yes, of course...sorry! It's just a surprise to see you."

Once inside, Aaron and Chas stood at the foot of the stairs as Aaron took his backpack off and let it slip to the floor, seemingly relieved to take the weight off of him, "Can I stay? Is it OK?"

"Of course you can stay, but the police still want you. I'll have to hide you in your room."

"I can't spend the rest of my life cooped-up in my bedroom!"

"Well, we'll sort that out later. Why have you come back?"

"My contract with the rally team was up and I knew I wouldn't be able to stay on in the flat with no wages coming in, so I thought the best thing to do would be to come home."

"Well, I'm delighted to see you, you know that. But, I'm worried about what will happen if the police find out that you are back in England."

"I was thinking," Aaron frowned in concentration: a look his mother knew well, "Maybe I should go to the cop-shop and give myself up. I can't become invisible or stay in my room forever. They might go easy on me if I co-operate, plus Uncle Cain won't want to press charges, I don't s'pose."

Chas looked shocked, "There's got to be another way. Can't you ask Adam to come clean about the fire?"

"No way!" Aaron would not hear of 'grassing' on his best mate, "I'm not going to ruin his life, I owe him big time for saving my life that time and for sticking by me when I came out...I'll never betray him, Mum, not ever. Promise me you won't say anything to implicate him..._PROMISE_!"

Chas knew that she would never be able to convince Aaron to turn Adam in: his stubbornness was as much a part of him as it ever had been, "OK! I promise. But, I don't want to see you go to jail. I know you don't want to ruin Adam's life, but I don't want you to ruin yours either."

"I'll be OK" Aaron's bravado surfaced, "Don't worry about me."

Chas studied her son carefully. He looked a little older with his slightly longer hair and stubble on his chin. In fact, his 'look' was reminiscent of his former boyfriend, Jackson.

"Well," Chas continued, "We'd better get you settled in your room, then you can get some sleep and have a good hard think in the morning."

Aaron knew that his mother was still hoping that he would change his mind about Adam, "I don't need to think, I've done a lot of that these past few weeks: I'm going to turn myself in, end of!"

"We'll see," Chas replied with an enigmatic smile.

xxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, as Aaron reclined on his bed, he pulled out his mobile phone and sent a text to Adam. Moments later, a reply came through and Aaron smiled at his best mate's wit, "What do you mean 'I'm back home'? Are you pulling my plonker?"

Aaron replied with all the sarcasm that he could muster, "Pull your plonker? Now there's an invitation if ever there was one!"

The expected reply came back, "In your dreams Livesy! My crown jewels are off limits to you, pal."

Aaron decided that it would be easier to tease his friend by phone, rather than keep up the text exchange, so he dialled his number, "I've come all the way back to Yorkshire, Barton, the least you can offer me is to let me cop a feel, for old time's sake."

"You've picked up some dirty habits in France!" Adam said with a chuckle in his voice, "You're going to be asking for a French kiss next."

"Don't pretend you wouldn't enjoy it, cowboy!"

"Urrggh! Locking lips with you? No thanks! Mind you, my cousin Finn probably wouldn't say no...why don't you ask him?"

"Are you matchmaking again, Barton? You did that for me once before, with Jackson, and look how that turned out."

"Wasn't my fault!"

"Fair point," Aaron turned serious, "Anyway, shall we meet up now I'm back?"

"Sure...in the Woolie?"

"Yeah...although not in the bar, no-one knows I'm back yet. I don't want to give all the neighbours a big shock, not yet anyway. They still think I'm public enemy number one."

"About that Aaron...why don't you let me clear your name: I'll go to the police and tell them what really happened."

"Oh no you don't!" Aaron said, forcefully, "I said I'd take the blame and that hasn't changed."

Adam was touched by Aaron's loyalty, "OK. So, where shall we meet?"

"I am back at the Woolie, but my mum has hidden me upstairs. Come to the side door and let me know when you've arrived and I'll come downstairs to let you in."

"OK. I'll be there soon mate."

"Cheers pal, see ya."

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The next morning, Aaron went out early. He wanted to go to the police and he knew that his mother would try to talk him out of it again, so he slipped out unnoticed.

On arrival at the main police station in Hotten, Aaron sauntered up to the counter and spoke to the desk sergeant on duty, "I've come to hand myself in," he said, without hesitation.

"Name?" the sergeant, a middle-aged man with a round face, peered at Aaron with a look of surprise and disbelief.

"Aaron Livesy."

"Livesy?" the sergeant repeated as he tapped the keyboard on his computer and looked at the screen, "Ah! It says here you're wanted for arson."

Aaron gulped and cleared his throat, he suddenly felt slightly nervous, "Yeah!" he said, simply.

A short time later, Aaron was sitting in an interview room, facing two police officers, one male and one female.

"So, Mr Livesy," the female police officer, Detective Sergeant Janet Bailey-Scott, a young blonde woman, spoke first, "You've led us a merry dance, haven't you? Where have you been all this time?"

"I ran away to France," Aaron said, matter-of-factly.

"France, eh?" DS Bailey-Scott raised her eyebrows, "How did you manage that? I thought that customs would have stopped you...unless you were using a forged passport?"

Aaron remained silent, which made DS Bailey-Scott think that her deduction was correct, "Where did you manage to obtain that?"

"Look," Aaron was becoming a little agitated, "I've given myself up over the arson business, can't you just charge me and get it over with?"

The other officer, DC Bobby Waddington, spoke, "We need to ascertain how you managed to evade capture: you could be looking at a charge of fraud, as well as arson."

Aaron thought that confessing was going to be a simple matter, but suddenly realised that he had opened a can of worms. He had originally rejected the offer of a solicitor, but changed his mind, "I don't want to say any more without my lawyer being present."

DS Bailey-Scott spoke again, "That is your right, interview suspended at ten forty-five."

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Chas was worried. She had found that Aaron's room was empty and she had a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach: she guessed exactly where Aaron had gone. He fears were confirmed when Aaron rang her from the police station, "I've been allowed one call, so I thought I'd ring you to let you know where I am."

"Oh Aaron!" Chas was upset, "Why did you have to do this? We could have worked something out."

"It's best this way Mum," Aaron was trying to convince himself as much as his mother, "Whatever happens, I'll be able to move on without looking over my shoulder all the time."

"Is there anything you need?"

"No. I've got a lawyer to sit with me at the interviews."

"A lawyer?" Chas was shocked, "Why do you need a solicitor, just to admit to a crime?"

"Well," Aaron hesitated, but then continued, "It seems I'm looking at a charge of fraud for, you know, using a fake ID."

"Oh Aaron!" that possibility had not previously occurred to Chas, "What have you got yourself into now?"

"Don't worry Mum, I'll be OK."

Chas tried to be hopeful, but she knew that her son was in trouble and she wished that she could help him in some way.

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"So," DS Bailey-Scott resumed Aaron's interview now that he had his lawyer by his side, "Would you care to explain how you came to be in possession of a fake passport?"

"I didn't say I had a fake passport," Aaron's bravado surfaced once more, "_YOU_ said that."

"Are you denying that you left the country with false papers?"

Aaron did not answer.

"Mr Livesy," DS Bailey-Scott continued, "We can obtain a warrant to search your home and I'm sure we'll find the passport, won't we?"

"Alright," Aaron knew that he had been cornered, "So I used a dodgy document. I thought I was here to confess to starting that fire."

DC Waddington joined the interrogation, "Would you care to enlighten us as to how you came to be in possession of a fake passport?"

"No comment!"

"Come now, Mr Livesy, the judge might go a little more easily on you if you co-operate with us." DC Waddington played his next card, "Cain Dingle is your uncle, is that correct?"

"Yeah...what's he got to do with it?"

"Let's just say," DS Bailey-Scott continued, "That we know of Mr Dingle's past misdemeanours. It was him that obtained the passport for you, wasn't it?"

"No comment!"

"Come on, Mr Livesy," DC Waddington seemed to be playing the 'good cop', "There's no point in trying to cover up for your uncle. Did he supply you with the false documents?"

Aaron could see no way out of the situation. He did not want to implicate his uncle, but he knew that the police would probably trace the passport back to Cain, so he gave in, "Yeah, it was him."

"That's better," DS Bailey-Scott smirked, "In that case, would you care to explain why your uncle would help you to flee the country, after you had tried to torch him in the garage?"

Aaron was caught by surprise. He did not know how to respond to that question!


	2. Chapter 2

Return Ticket – Chapter 2

_-O-_

_DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV_

_-O-_

"Well?" DS Bailey-Scott fixed Aaron with a steely stare, "You haven't answered my question. Why would your uncle help you when you had just tried to kill him?"

"I dunno," Aaron was trying to think fast, "Family loyalty, I s'pose."

"Seems a bit odd, don't you think?" DC Waddington took the next turn, "Why would he do you any favours when you'd left him to die in a blazing building? Why did you try to kill him anyway?"

"I don't remember."

"No?" DS Bailey-Scott tapped the table with her pen, "You fell out to the point where you went and set fire to the garage, with your uncle in it: then you don't remember why you did it?"

Aaron squirmed in his seat: this confession was not going the way that he had planned, he thought of a different answer, "It was an accident...I mean...I didn't know he was in there."

"So," DC Waddington raised his eyebrows, "Was there some other reason why you burned the garage to the ground? Insurance swindle, was it?"

Aaron's lawyer butted in, "That's pure supposition, Detective Constable, you are putting words into my client's mouth."

"OK," DS Bailey-Scott looked directly at Aaron again, "Let's go from the top shall we? Can you explain, in your own words, what happened on the night of the fire?"

Aaron looked at the two police officers and then spoke, "Look, I can't give you a reason. I was mucking about and things got out of hand. You can ask my mate Adam Barton what I'm like: I nearly set fire to his late father's barn once because I was messing about with matches."

"So," DC Waddington did not look convinced, "You just happened to go to your place of work and start a fire for no reason, even though you knew that it would put you out of a job?"

Aaron looked a little sheepish, "Yeah!"

DS Bailey-Scott eyed him suspiciously, "It wasn't you that started the fire, was it?"

"Yes it was!" Aaron was trying to convince the police of his guilt, "I torched the place, just like I said."

"I wish to speak to my client in private please," the lawyer said.

DS Bailey-Scott flipped the switch on the recording device, "Interview suspended at three twelve," she looked at Aaron, "We'll resume this later. Perhaps you'd like to come up with a more plausible story for the next session."

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DS Bailey-Scott and DC Waddington sat chatting in their office.

"He's hiding something," DS Bailey-Scott said, "I think he's covering for someone."

"Do you think Cain Dingle started the fire himself?" DC Waddington replied.

"I'm not sure, but I think it's unlikely. Why would he put himself at risk like that? No, I reckon someone else did it and young Aaron is covering for them."

"But," DC Waddington looked confused, "Why would he cover for a person who tried to kill his uncle?"

"You know the Dingles!" DS Bailey-Scott chuckled, "A law unto themselves that lot! We'll have to do some digging and find out who Cain Dingle's enemies are."

DC Waddington laughed along with his colleague, "Could be a very long list!"

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Moira Barton was cooking dinner when her boyfriend Cain walked into the kitchen of the farmhouse.

"Aaron's down at the cop-shop," Cain said, almost as soon as he was through the doorway.

"Aaron?" Moira looked confused, "I thought he was still in France."

"I just spoke to Chas and she told me that he came home last night. He's decided to give himself up, silly sod!"

Moira felt her blood run cold, "But, that means they might find out that it was Adam who actually started the fire."

Cain moved to embrace Moira, "Don't worry. Why would they be looking for Adam when Aaron's taking the blame? Although, I wish we could get Aaron out of trouble somehow."

Moira eyed Cain suspiciously, "You wouldn't tell the police the truth, would you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Your family always stick together, don't they? The Dingle code and all that."

"Don't be daft!" Cain smiled at his partner, "I'm with you and Adam's your lad. That trumps the Dingle code in my book. I mean, it makes Adam an honorary Dingle, doesn't it?"

"I'm still worried though," Moira did not seem convinced, "the police might ask one too many questions."

"Don't concern yourself, it will be fine," Cain tried to reassure Moira, but he was not certain himself that things would run smoothly.

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The next day, after Aaron had spent a night in the cells, Cain was called in by the police for questioning. He found himself in the same interview room where Aaron had been interrogated.

"Mr Dingle," DS Bailey-Scott began, "please can you tell us, in your own words, the events of the night of the fire?"

"I was in the garage," Cain sat upright in his chair, trying to give a convincing performance, "Suddenly, the place was alight! I was lucky to escape."

"Did you see who started it?"

"We've been through all this before, after it happened."

"I know," DC Waddington cut in, "But we'd just like you to recap for us."

"I didn't see properly, but Aaron admitted it, so it must have been him."

"In that case," DS Bailey-Scott produced a passport, wrapped in a plastic bag, which had been picked up from Aaron's bedroom at the Woolpack, "Can you explain why you gave Aaron this fake passport so that he could leave the country unnoticed?"

Cain looked at the passport, "Never seen it before, nothing to do with me."

"Come now Mr Dingle," DS Bailey-Scott smirked, "We have your fingerprints on record and they are all over this passport. You can do better than that."

Cain started to look more uncomfortable, "OK, maybe I did give it to Aaron, but he was in trouble and he's family. People help family, don't they?"

"Even when that member of their family tried to kill them?" DC Waddington frowned.

"I've forgiven him."

DS Bailey-Scott sensed that she might be getting somewhere, "Mr Dingle, can you think of anyone else who might have had a grudge against you? We've been doing a bit of research and it seems that, back then, Adam Barton was not happy about you taking up with his mother: especially as you had an affair with her while her husband was still alive. You're still together, you and Moira Barton, aren't you?"

"Yes. But Adam got over it. He was upset at first, but it all blew over."

DC Waddington looked Cain in the eye, "He _WAS_ upset? Enough to try to kill you? Sounds like he hated your guts."

"No!" Cain became defensive, "He didn't. Anyway, Aaron said he did it! Why are you asking these questions?"

DS Bailey-Scott leaned forward, "Because, Mr Dingle, we're not getting the whole story, are we? Aaron and Adam are best mates and I bet they would cover for each other...that's what mates do. My guess is that Adam started the fire, because he had a motive, then Aaron took the wrap for it as, maybe, he owed Adam a debt of gratitude. You didn't want your girlfriend's son to go to jail so you then helped Aaron to flee the country. I'm right, aren't I?"

"I've never heard such a load of crap in my life!" Cain was still trying to cover up the truth.

"Ok, have it your way, Mr Dingle. We'll see what Adam has to say when we question him."

Sure enough, Adam was next to be hauled in for questioning. He fidgeted nervously in his chair as the two detectives looked at him.

"Mr Barton," DS Bailey-Scott began the interrogation, "You hated Cain Dingle when he started seeing your mother, didn't you?"

"I wasn't that impressed," Adam said, nervously, "But at the end of the day, it's her life."

"So," DC Waddington stared at Adam, "You don't deny you hated him?"

"I did at first, but I wouldn't try to kill him."

"So," DS Bailey-Scott interjected, "You had thought about killing him, had you? The thought had crossed your mind?"

"NO! Well, maybe a bit, but people don't go around killing their parent's partners, do they?"

"Did you love your father?"

"What?"

DS Bailey-Scott looked directly at Adam, "Your father, John wasn't it? Were you close?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so."

"So, when Cain came on the scene, you wanted to get him out of the picture."

Adam looked at the ground, "I s'pose."

DC Waddington went for the kill, "So, because you wanted to get rid of Cain, you torched his garage and then, because Aaron is your best mate, he took the blame to protect you. I'm right, aren't I?"

Adam looked up at the two officers, who seemed to be looking into his very soul and suddenly all the repressed feelings came flooding out, "I told him not to do it! He wanted to thank me for saving his life one time. I didn't want him to take the blame for something I'd done, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

DS Bailey-Scott spoke again, "Adam Barton, I'm arresting you for the attempted murder of Cain Dingle."

Adam stared at the floor again as he was being read his rights.

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Aaron was devastated. He had believed that returning home and giving himself up would have worked and Adam would still have been in the clear, but it had not turned out that way. Now, Adam was locked up, which was just the very thing that Aaron had tried to avoid.

Aaron called round to the farm. He wanted to see Moira and apologise to her for what had happened, although she was not really blaming him as she was grateful that he had previously taken the blame for her son's crime. Moira happened to be out when he arrived, but Finn was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop.

"Hi, I'm Aaron," he introduced himself.

"I know," Finn replied, "I recognise you from the picture that Adam showed me."

"Is Moira about?"

"No, she's gone to market with my dad."

"I just wanted to say sorry about Adam getting banged up."

"You shouldn't feel guilty Aaron: it was a true act of friendship...what you did for him."

"Thanks," Aaron looked relieved that the Bartons were focussing on his good deed, rather than blaming him for causing Adam's wrong-doings to be uncovered.

"I'll be down at the Woolpack later," Finn smiled, "I'll buy you a pint if you're going to be there."

"Yeah," Aaron smiled back, "I'll be there."

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Cain insisted to the police that he did not want to press charges against Adam regarding the fire. He pretended that Adam had only wanted to get back at him by torching his business and that he was unaware that Cain was actually in the building at the time. The police accepted Cain's version of events but still charged Adam with arson. However, when taken to court, Adam managed to avoid jail and was sentenced to community payback: something that Aaron could tell him a lot about in light of his own previous experience.

So, things did not work out too badly after all, in the end. Adam was unveiled as the arsonist, Aaron, aside from receiving a ticking-off for wasting police time, was in the clear and Cain was still in Moira's good books as he had tried to cover for Adam.

After all the fuss had died down, Chas threw a bit of a party in the Woolpack to properly welcome Aaron home. Everyone now knew the truth, that he had not started the fire at Dingles garage. If anything, they admired him, once the facts had come out, with regard to his loyalty to his best mate.

Aaron wondered what his future held for him now, but, from the looks that Finn Barton was giving him, he had a pretty good idea!

The End


End file.
